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JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 
[Vol. 16 
of the bees represented by the maximum peak which actually go to the 
field during the honey-flow. Under ideal conditions this peak would be 
reached three weeks before the honey-flow, and it is the constant en¬ 
deavor of every alert beekeeper to have his colonies attain this peak at 
that time. 
In the colony in question the maximum in 1922 was reached two weeks 
earlier than in 1921, although in the latter year a more auspicious be¬ 
ginning had been made. This was occasioned by the unusually early 
spring in 1921 during which nectar and pollen were coming in abundantly 
throughout March. During the two weeks following the 29th of March, 
however, there were six occasions on which the temperature reached the 
freezing point. Nightly during this same period the temperature dropped 
well below the clustering point. On four occasions the thermometer 
did not register over 57° F., for twenty-four hours, and on another 
occasion 62° F., was the highest temperature for forty-eight hours. 
Not only the effect of such weather on the nectar and pollen sources, 
but also the direct effect of the lower temperatures on the activity of the 
colony finally caused a break in the amount of sealed brood in the latter 
half of April. Although a recovery in the rate of brood-rearing was 
made subsequently, the peak was reached only after the chief source of 
nectar at Washington, the tulip-tree, was already in bloom. In 1922, 
on the other hand, there was a late spring, inclement weather in early 
March causing a temporary shortage of pollen in the hive. These 
conditions are clearly reflected in the curve for that month. Neverthe¬ 
less, April weather more than compensated for a backward March, 
and by the end of the month nearly all flowers were as advanced as in 
the previous year. The result was a tremendous rise in the brood curve, 
causing the maximum to be reached two weeks in advance of that of the 
year previous. It was also in advance of the tulip-tree honey-flow 
for 1922, but just at a time when locust was in bloom. This caused 
brood-rearing to remain at its high level for about two weeks after the 
peak had been reached. 
The second phase, or summer decline, is dependent in its rate upon 
the amount of incoming nectar or pollen. The decline during 1922 was 
gradual, there having been only a slight upward break in the middle of 
’June due to an abundance of pollen. During the same month in 1921 
there was a similar, upward break, but owing to two causes it was more 
pronounced. In the first place, as a result of the break during the rise to 
the maximum, the additional cells which would have been used for 
brood, had the brood area expanded continuously throughout the rise as 
